But having added 33 with Amla and hung around for more than an hour, Steyn fended at a rising delivery from paceman Stuart Broad and James Taylor took the simple catch at short leg to leave South Africa 164 for four.

De Villiers got off the mark first ball by pulling Broad to fine leg and followed that up with another four, exemplary footwork taking him down the pitch to loft off-spinner Graeme Swann over midicket.

However, he was still on eight when he mistimed a drive off Swann only for James Anderson, at short midwicket, to drop the straightforward chance.

Amla, dropped on two Saturday when he glanced Broad down the legside and diving wicket-keeper Matt Prior just failed to cling on to the difficult left-handed catch, was content to bide his time Sunday.

He didn't score a boundary in the morning session but still moved to within sight of a hundred.